HR-4894 — Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2025

YourVoice.Now Summary

Civil LibertiesCriminal Justice & Due ProcessTransparency & Accountability

Lying to voters about when or where to vote — including with AI — could mean a year in prison and a lawsuit.

Civil Liberties

Fake polling sites banned — includes fake ballot boxes

Setting up a ballot box or polling place that looks official, but is not, would be barred. So would any act meant to stop a person from voting or signing up.

Voters gain the right to sue — legal fees possible

Anyone harmed, including poll workers facing threats, could ask a court to stop the conduct. Judges could make the losing side pay the winner's legal fees.

False voting information becomes illegal — 60 days before elections

It would be against the law to knowingly spread false claims about when, where, or how to vote. The ban would start 60 days before each federal election.

AI-made false voting information also banned — same 60-day window

The bill would name AI tools directly. Using one on purpose to build fake voting messages would break the same law.

Criminal Justice & Due Process

New crime for false voting information — one year maximum

A person who does this could face up to a year in prison, a fine, or both. Sentencing rules for these cases would be reviewed within 180 days.

New crime for blocking someone's vote — one year maximum

Blocking a person from voting or signing up would be a federal crime when done for a wrongful reason. The penalty is up to a year in prison, a fine, or both.

New crime for threatening election workers — those counting ballots

It would be a crime to threaten the staff who scan, count, or check ballots. That covers the people who sign off on the final count.

Paying people not to vote banned — new federal offense

Paying someone to register or to vote is already banned. The bill would add payments made to keep a person from voting.

Transparency & Accountability

Justice Department must correct false claims — only if states don't

If lies about voting spread and states do not fix them, the Attorney General must put out the facts. The message could not favor a party or a candidate.

Public report after every federal election — shows who was targeted

The Attorney General must list every complaint about lies aimed at voters. The list goes online within 180 days of each federal vote, and shows which groups were hit.

More about this bill

Lying to voters about when, where, or how to vote would become a federal crime. The ban would cover the 60 days before any federal election. It would also cover false claims about who is allowed to vote, or about being arrested for voting. Using AI to build such messages would break the same law. A person found guilty could face up to a year in prison, a fine, or both. You would also gain the right to sue. Courts could order the conduct to stop. The losing side could be told to pay the winner's legal fees. Poll workers could sue too. Threatening the people who count or confirm election results would become a crime. Setting up a fake ballot box or polling place would be barred. So would paying someone to stay home on election day. The Justice Department would take on a new job. If false voting claims spread and states do not act, the Attorney General would put out accurate information. That message could not favor any party or candidate. After each federal general election, the Attorney General would report every complaint of voter deception to Congress. The report would be posted online within 180 days.

Congressional Summary

Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2025 This bill generally prohibits deceptive communications and voter interference regarding federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits any person, within 60 days before a federal election, from communicating, causing to be communicated, or producing for communication certain information on voting, if the person (1) knows such information to be materially false, and (2) has the intent to impede or prevent another person from voting in an election. Additionally, the bill prohibits any person, within 60 days before a federal election, from using an artificial intelligence system to produce certain information on voting, if the person has the intent to use the system to (1) produce false information, and (2) impede or prevent another person from voting in an election. The bill also prohibits hindering, interfering with, or preventing voting or registering to vote. A private right of action for preventive relief is established for persons aggrieved by violations of these prohibitions. Criminal penalties are also established for violations. If the Department of Justice (DOJ) receives a credible report that materially false information has been or is being communicated in violation of the prohibitions on deceptive communications, and state and local election officials have not adequately communicated corrected information, then DOJ must communicate to the public accurate information designed to correct the materially false information. The bill extends the prohibition on certain types of intimidation in federal elections to also prohibit intimidation for processing ballots or tabulating, canvassing, or certifying votes.

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: House
Status: summarized
Action: Introduced in House
Action Date: 2025-08-05
Date Added: 2026-04-23
Source: Congress.gov →

Like reading a bill in plain English?

We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.